Jason Tuiono sentenced in ACT Supreme Court for drug trafficking

"The impact of methylamphetamine on individual users and the community more broadly is plainly destructive," Justice Louise Taylor said on Monday.

Jason Pakalani Tuiono, 34, previously pleaded guilty to trafficking in a controlled drug, possessing ammunition, and the unauthorised possession of a firearm.

With supporters sitting in the ACT Supreme Court public gallery, the Campsie man was handed a 19-month jail sentence with a non-parole period of 12 months.

A Belconnen garage employee discovered the loaded weapon tucked under the seat of Tuiono's silver BMW when the offender dropped it off for a service in March.

Tuiono then unwittingly brought more than 18 grams of methamphetamine and cash hidden in his satchel to police, who were waiting to speak to him about the discovered gun.

"Trafficking in methylamphetamine directly facilitates the misery visited upon our communities through addiction," the judge said.

"There is a need to protect the community from this kind of offending."

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Justice Taylor said the offender had purchased the weapon in question out of fear of being robbed because "it was dangerous selling drugs" and he needed it "as a form of defence or protection".

"Hey my bro. You know the thing I bought off you. You need to clock it forward every time you wanna use it ay?" Tuiono asked someone on encrypted messaging app Signal.

The court accepted the "thing" being referred to was the 3D-printed gun.

"The nature of the firearm makes it unable to be tracked or registered," Justice Taylor said.

Police searched the BMW the day after Tuiono's arrest and found digital scales, disposable latex gloves, clip seal bags, and more than 80 grams of methamphetamine.

They also found two rounds of .22 calibre hollow point ammunition - one in the barrel of the gun and one in the coin container of Tuiono's car.

The judge said the man came from Sydney "to make fast money" and the offending occurred while Tuiono was subject to a NSW parole order relating to charges that included robbery.

"It was to finance the funeral and burial arrangements for his late father," prosecutor Sam Bargwanna previously told the court.

"Of particular significance in this matter is the need for general deterrence, denunciation, accountability and punishment given the serious nature of the offences," the judge said on Monday.

Tuiono, who has been in custody for over 6 months, will be eligible for parole in March 2024.

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